..Furthermore, we show that the digital flexor muscles have minimal ability to contribute to or regulate significantly the 2.5-Hz cycle of movement, but are ideally arranged to damp these high-frequency oscillations in the limb...

The anatomical arrangement of muscle and tendon enhances limb versatility and locomotor performance

..Here, we examine both published and new data to explore how muscles are arranged to deliver the wide repertoire of locomotor function and the trade-offs between performance and economy that result...

..Mass-specific mechanical work per unit distance was independent of body mass, resulting in a small but significant increase in the contribution of elastic energy storage to locomotor economy in larger ostriches...

High speed galloping in the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and the racing greyhound (Canis familiaris): spatio-temporal and kinetic characteristics

..Elastic energy storage in the limbs was small compared to the overall amplitude of fluctuation of external mechanical energy. Galloping at high speeds does not therefore fit classical spring mass mechanics...

..At low speed, acceleration and deceleration may be limited by the geometric constraints of avoiding net nose-up or tail-up pitching, respectively. At higher speeds, muscle power appears to limit acceleration...

Flying in a flock comes at a cost in pigeons

James R UsherwoodStructure and Motion Laboratory, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, North Mymms, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UKNature 474:494-7. 2011

..Indeed, the increased flap frequency, whether due to direct aerodynamic interactions or requirements for increased stability or control, suggests a considerable energetic cost to flight in a tight cluster flock...

..During small radius turns the angular velocity of heading decreased with increasing speed in a manner consistent with the coefficient of friction of the hoof-surface interaction setting the limit to centripetal force to avoid slipping...

Walk-run classification of symmetrical gaits in the horse: a multidimensional approach

..Footfall timings and timing of mechanical energy fluctuations are consistent with strategies to reduce collisional forces, analogous to the suggested role of ankle extension as an efficient powering mechanism in human walking...

Power output of skinned skeletal muscle fibres from the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

..The stride frequency and vertical displacement calculated based on measurements from the low cost GPS/IMU units had an s.d. of 0.08 Hz and 0.02 m respectively, compared to measurements from high performance OEM4 GPS units...

..This supports the idea that greyhounds power locomotion by torque about the hips, so--just as in cycling humans--the muscles that provide the power are mechanically divorced from the structures that support weight...